Pronto Cucina Italiana - San Clemente, California

Jessica F.

It was our first time here, they were able to accommodate us even though they were booked for the night. Service was fast, and the food was delicious. The pizza dough was light, crispy in the outside and soft & chewy on the inside. All in all everything was great!

Arman N.

Came here by suggestion from a friend, and the pizza was great! I had the prosciutto, about 10-12 inches, delicious. I was there on a Friday night at around 8pm, and it was packed inside but there was bar seating open for myself. The bartender was also great with her suggestions, including the pistachio gelato!

Emily C.

We ordered many items because everything looked so good!! We got the bolognese 10/10, the salame pizza 8/10, the truffle pasta 10/10 and the tiramisu 10/10!! We also got the bread and tomato dish anppetizer and we think you can do without. Overall amazing and we will be coming back often 😁.

Cami B.

What a GEM of a restaurant. My husband and I were in town for a wedding and needed a late night bite to eat, and we found Pronto. The style of the restaurant makes you feel like you are in Italy. From the lovely staff, to the decor, to the food- this place is very much a treat to visit. The tomato soup is hands down the best soup I've ever had. The gnocchi was also incredible. And then the lemon dessert was amazing!! You can tell the food is very fresh, and the people who work there very much care about you having a nice experience. This little restaurant is a must try, and perfect for a cute date night!

M

I just walked out of the restaurant a few minutes ago and felt compelled to write a review to testify to the Excellence of the restaurant and the warm kind welcoming of the family and other workers there.

The food is 100% fresh and 100% Italian, and as an Italian American I am naturally very discerning and demanding in this regard.

Just a beautiful place to sit and talk and meet people and chat and enjoy a glass of wine and fantastic food. I had the house salad and the meatball appetizer and the focaccia bread, all of which together made a fantastic meal with a rye cocktail and glass of red wine.

Everything reasonably priced and a very warm and comforting evening to remember. Cannot recommend this restaurant enough nor the excellent excellent market next door that has some of the most authentic Italian wines and products you can possibly get in southern california. Great joy to wander in there in the holiday season, and I look forward to returning and eating again maybe even tomorrow.

Know that I'm giving a 5 out of 5 for all categories but for some reason Google posted it as 0 out of 5 which is not my intention. 5/5 top most excellent ranking for everything and I hope it appears correctly on Google

Seymour T.

VERY POOR SERVICE ! We've been visiting beautiful San Clemente for many years. It has some very good restaurants and cafes...a few of which became our favs when in town. BUT THEN ! Only a few months ago we moved into a lovely townhome up in the hills of San Clemente. As locals we decided to expand our patronage of the local restaurants. The realtor who handled our townhome move told us the pizzas here were good...and we love a good pizza. It was difficult to get the feel of Pronto Cucina Italiana whose windows are blacked out during the day. We do know it used to be a Deli not long ago. SO ! I made a dinner reservation for 6pm on Wednesday, Jan 29th. We arrived a little early and a server named Juliana offered us a table for 2 just inside the front door...not the ideal spot on a chilly night. The restaurant looked full with around a dozen diners at tables and sitting at the bar which dominated the tiny restaurant. Our server Juliana brought us a bottle of chilled water & filled glasses of water plus a number of menus. The beer menu looked a bit pedestrian...I asked for a Menabrea Blonde which I assume was on tap. My iced cold beer arrived very quickly and tasted fine for a mild beer. It turned out that because we ordered before 6pm I saved $2 during HAPPY HOUR..4 - 6pm. STARTER ! The house made Rosemary Focaccia sounded a winner. We've been making our own pizzas from scratch at home for over 20 years. We've enjoyed some of the best pizzas in the world in Italy, Paris, Australia, Chicago, San Francisco, New York and all over California. I asked Juliana our server what type of dough was used in their pizza bases.....I don't know was her astonishing reply. And she didn't bother to go ask anyone to find out. Maybe that explained why she has been working here for just 2 days a week for only a month. We chose the Meat Lovers....it was named MY FAVORITE ( marinara, mozzarella, mushrooms, onions, sausage, pepperoni ) on their menu. PASTA ! My wife liked the sound of the FETTUCCINE VODKA ( pink sauce, aged parmigiano )...add sausage + $5. OH NO ! As I pointed out earlier our tiny table was just inside the front door...every time new diners entered they were standing right behind me breathing over my head. I asked Juliana who was the manager and she pointed out Madison the bartender...but she didn't seem too sure. Our entrees arrived together and they both looked pretty good. I asked our server for grated parmigiano and chili flakes which arrived promptly. The pizza tasted quite good....well put together. Of course it was not a wood-fired pizza which is the typical Italian pizza. The pasta tasted quite good too...lovely flavor and texture. TOO BAD ! I asked Juliana our server if the Adriano the Chef / Owner would come out to say hi....she came back with he is too busy in the kitchen. THE PROBLEM ! Apart from the very small size of the restaurant which bordered on claustrophobic for us the place had no personality....there really didn't seem to anyone running the show, no one interacting with the seated diners. DESSERT ! Not much of interest on the dessert menu ....we went with the house made TIRAMISU. It came out fast and tasted like tiramisu. We have enjoyed much better pizza, pasta, craft beer choices, desserts, service and atmosphere at many restaurants. At best this place is Italo-American and needs to lift it's game substantially. We think Parlor on El Camino Real is way better !

Kellyann K.

What a quaint restaurant. Our waitress was great. The food was yummy! And the atmosphere was fun.

Tom M.

Pronto Cucina Italiana is a real gem here in San Clemente! There are so many reasons to appreciate this restaurant. The menu choices are authentically Italian! For Starters, we enjoyed the Meatball Snack, Rosemary Focaccia bread and their House Salad. Our entrees were the Bucatini Carbonara, Short Rib Raviolis, and the Breaded Veal Cutlet. Each entree was seasoned perfectly, generous, and delicious! We finished our meal with a piece of Olive Oil cake. It was very fluffy and moist.
Pronto also has a full bar which we will try the next time we are there. Their list of Italian wines was also impressive.
We plan to return often to enjoy Pronto Cucina Italiana!